Article assembling



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ARTICLE ASSEMBLING Filed May 31, 1941 16 Sheets-Sheet l6 Patented May 14, 1946 PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE ASSEMBLING Cutler D. Knowlton and Frank R. Thresh, Beverly,

Mass., assignors to Hoague-Sprague Corporation, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 31, 1941, Serial No. 396,226

22 Claims.

This invention relates to the assembling of variou articles, it being especially applicable to the bringing together Wcovers to effect what is common y te e the closing of the boxes to form box-units. An object of the invention is to produce such closure for the succeeding grouping of the units, and their deposit in measured packing cases. This is effected rapidly and accurately and in such a manner as to ensure that there shall be delivered for the packing, or other operation, only complete boxunits, each consisting of a box and its cover.

As a feature of the invention by which this object is attained, there is combined with spaced supports on which boxes and their covers are respectively delivered, closing means co-operating with each support for elevating from it a supported box-part and introducing the box into the cover during their upward travel. By thus raising the pairs of box-parts, they are kept under uninterrupted control during their continuous advance and unfailingly brought together. There is preferably a channel between the supports with an intermediate guide member having surfaces converging toward the channel, and over these surfaces the elevating or box-part-advancing means operate. A yieldable member may act upon the cover within the channel to retard its advance and make certain the seating the boxpart within it. Means is shown for varying the distance and angular relation between the channel-walls, to adapt the machine to operate on box-parts of different dimensions.

As another feature of the invention, there is provided means for testing the pairs of boxparts as they advance to the closing mechanism, together with means for discharging from the machine either a box or cover whichis found by the test to be unmatched. Therefore, there can only be operated on by the closing mechanism a matching pair of box-parts, and only a complete box-unit will be delivered. Herein are disclosed discharge-passages toward which the boxes and covers are advanced, and the discharge through the passages is determined by the box-parts themselves. Since the box to be discharged is the companion of that which is lacking, the absence of each box-part controls the discharge of the other part of the unit. This control is preferably exercised through electrical mechanism. There may also he means by which the operator determines the discharge of the box-parts from the machine, thereby varying the number of boxunits passing through it.

A divisional application, directed to the means in the assembling of articles whereby they are packed in measured cases, was filed in the United States Patent Oflice on August 1'7, 1945, and hearing the Serial No. 611,084. 5 In the accompanying drawings illustrating one of many possible embodiments of our invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved machine, a portion of the operating mechanism above the casing section being removed;

Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional detail on the line II-II of Fig. 1, showing the retaining means for the closed boxes which are being arranged in a row;

Fig. 3, a sectional detail on the line III-III of Fig, 2;

Fig. 4, a broken side elevation of the closing section, looking from the right of the machine;

Fig. 5, an enlarged transverse section on the line VV of Fig. 7;

Fig. 6, a diagrammatic view of means for determining and rejecting unmatched boxes and covers;

Fig. 7, a top plan view of the final section of the setting up machine with which the apparatus of 25 the present invention co-operates, together with the immediately adjacent portion of such apparatus;

Fig. 8, a transverse section through the receiving portion of the assembling section, looking rearwardly with respect to the advance of the work;

Fig. 9, an elevation of the lower portion of the closing section, together with the determining and rejecting means, it being viewed in the same direction as Fig. 8;

Fig. 10, a broken side elevation of the inner portion of the assembling section, together with the casing section;

Fig. 11, an enlarged sectional detail of the detector for controlling the delivery of an assembled layer of closed boxes to a packing-case, this bein taken on the line XI-XI of Fig. 1;

Fig. 12, an enlarged top plan view of the operating mechanism for the assembling and casing sections;

Fig. 13, a partial elevation of the assembling section, looking rearwardly through the receiving portion;

Fig. 14, a rear elevation of the lower portion of the casing section;

Fig 15, a side elevation thereof, looking from the left in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16, a broken detail in elevation of the testing mechanism, which measures the horizontal dimensions of the cases to be filled;

Figs, 17, 18 and 19, sectional details on the lines XVII-XVII, XVIII-XVIII and XIX-XIX, respectively, of Fig. 16;

Fig. 20, a similar view, enlarged, on the line XX-XX of Fig. 27;

Fig. 21, a view in elevation of the wall-adjusting mechanism governed by the testing mechanism of Fig. 16;

Fig. 22, an enlarged elevation of the relay mechanism of Fig. 21, viewed oppositely from Fig. 21;

Fig, 23, an enlarged top plan view of one of the solenoids of Fig. 21

Fig. 24, a broken enlarged elevation, looking from the right in Fig. 21;

Fig. 25, an enlarged transverse section on the line XXV-XXV of Fig. 21;

Fig. 26, a diagrammatic perspective illustrating the courses of the box-parts through the closing, assembling and casing sections of the machine;

Fig. 27, an elevation, as viewed from the rear of the machine, of the dimension-determining means partially illustrated in Fig. 16, together with the means for successively advancing the cases to be tested;

Fig. 28, a similar view of the stop mechanism for the cases Fig. 29, a broken sectional detail on the line XICiX-XXIX of Fig. 28;

Fig. 30, a detail in elevation of the mechanism for controlling the clutch of Fig. 27;

Figs. 31 and 32, transverse sectional details on the lines XXXIXXXI and XXIGI-XXIGI of Figs. 28 and 27, respectively;

Fig. 33, a plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 27, with parts broken away;

Fig. 34, a detail in broken side elevation of the valve by which the elevator-stop is controlled;

Fig. 35, a top plan view of the valve through which the lap-turning fingers are retracted;

Fig. 36, a broken top plan view of the entire valve mechanism;

Fig. 37, a broken side elevation of the valve of Fig. 35;

Fig. 38, a vertical section showing the external form of the valve of Fig, 34 and taken at the left of the elevator cam;

Fig. 39, a. plan of the elevator and associated conveyors, taken in a plane just above the casesupporting surfaces;

Fig. 40, a side elevation of the elevator, with its controlling and controlled mechanisms;

Fig, 41, a top plan view of a portion of the means for governing the extent of upward movement of the elevator; and

Fig. 42, a diagrammatic representation in perspective of different box-arrangements in cases to be packed.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings, there appears at S, s the delivery portions of a machine for folding or setting up from fiat blanks a box B and a cover C, respectively. This apparatus may be as disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,0 2,472, Knowlton, June 2, 1936, the boxes and covers being of the elongated form in which pairs of shoes are customarily enclosed for the retail trade. After the formation of these box-parts, they are advanced by reciprocatory pushing fingers 58, 50 along narrow supporting surfaces 52, 52 beneath retaining bars 54 and spring-pressed plates 55, the major dimensions of the box-parts extending transversely of their paths. The fingers arry the box-parts beneath spring-fingers 58, which hold them against rearward movement, on to horizontal supporting plates 58 upon which they lie end to end in horizontal alinement. These plates are mounted upon an end-frame at the beginning of the machine of the present invention, the general organization of which is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 26. This has a section D, in which each advancing box B, moving vertically, has a cover C applied to it. This is followed by a section E, in which the closed boxes are received, traveling horizontally at g and delivered to be assembled in horizontal rows at h by movement in a direction at right-angles to their receipt. Then, with another change in direction in section E, at right-angles to the preceding, they are assembled at i in layers made up of a grim rality of rows. Finally, at section F, successive layers are carried down into a packing case P. The cases to be packed may be of difierent dimensions and adapted to contain different numbers of box-units. These cases with the contained box-units are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 42 of the drawings. The case a will contain twelve of the closed boxes in one layer with their lengths vertically disposed. The cases b, c, d and e hold, respectively, eighteen, twenty-four, thirtysix and twenty-four of the units, each in two layers and with the lengths vertical. For the closure of the cases after packing, their longitudinal walls have joined to their upper edges by creases, laps k and 172, while the transverse walls carry like laps n and 1.

Before the closing of the boxes is initiated, it is desired to determine whether there have arrived together from the setting-up sections S and s. a box and a cover, and, if one of these is missing, to reject the other, so an incomplete unit shall not go through the machine. Each plate 58 has at its forward side an opening 62 (Figs. 4 and 9) in a vertical wall 64 of the end-frame 80. Each opening is normally closed by a gate 86 pivoted by a spindle 88 at the outer side of the wall 64. Fast upon the spindle is an arm 18 joined by a link 12 to an arm 14 on a shaft 18, journaled in a bracket 11 above the gate. The shaft also has fast upon it a pinion 18 with which meshes a vertically movable rack 80 guided at the outer side of the bracket. The rack is attached to the lower extremity of the plunger of a solenoid 82 mounted upon the bracket. The two solenoids, of the gates toward which the setting-up sections S and s deliver, are connected in a circuit illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. In series with each solenoid is a contact device 84 associated with the supporting surface 52 of the opposite setting up section; that is, the solenoid of section S is joined directly to the contact device of section s, and that of section s to the contact device of section S. These two circuits are united in parallel to some source 86 of electric current and to a contact device 88. The contact device 88 is closed periodically by a cam 98 (Fig. 9), this being at a time when either a box or a cover is beneath the corresponding contact device 84. The cam may be upon a constantly rotating shaft 92 included in the setting up machine. Each contact device 84 is normally closed, but is opened by the box-parts passing beneath it (Fig. 7). It will be seen that during a testing period, at which time both a box and a cover should have arrived upon the plates 58, both solenoid-circuits will be closed at 88, but will have been opened at 84 by the properly delivered box-parts. If, however, either of the setting-up sections has failed to make its delivery, the corresponding contact device 84 will remain closed. There will consequently be completed a circuit for the solenoid of the opposite setting-up section, which will draw up its plunger and through the gearing and other connections lift the gate 66. This uncovers the opening 62, so the pushing fingers 50 will elect from the machine the box-part which is unaccompanied by its companion part. The gate is turned to a position above the spindle 68, where it is held temporarily by a detent IOI pivoted upon the frame and which has entered a notch inthe rack 80. A link I03 joins the detent to a lever I05 fulcrumed upon the frame, and held by a tension-spring I01 yieldably in the path of a projection I09 from a sprocket-wheel I48, another purpose of which is hereinafter described. At the end of the testing period, when the contact device 88 is opened by the cam 90, the projection strikes the lever and shifts the detent inwardly (Fig. 9), and its weight, and that of the plunger of the now deenergized solenoid, will return the gate to its closed relation. The apparatus is thereby made ready for the normal delivery of the succeeding pair of box-parts. To dispose of the rejected part, each of the openings 62 is continued by a chute I00, which delivers the discharged part to one of two adjacent horizontal channels I02, I02. Between the two channels runs a chainconveyor I04, from which pins I06 project oppositely into the channels. The chain operates over sprocket-wheels I08 and may be driven from the shaft 92. By this chain the unmatched boxparts are removed from the machine.

It may be sometimes desirable for the operator to direct matched pairs of box-parts, or complete units, from their normal course through the machine. This may be at times when a number of units less than a full case-lot is to be made. It may be accomplished by causing their discharge through the openings 62. Across the rear of the wall 64, a shaft 93 is journaled, having secured to its center a hand-lever 94 and at its extremities arms 95, 95. These arms extend, respectively, beneath the lower ends of the racks 80. By swinging the hand-lever, the arms may be caused to engage the racks, lifting these and so opening the gates 66 as to allow the passage of the boxparts into the chutes I00. The elements may be maintained in this relation as long as desired by a spring-latch 96 upon the lever, movable into engagement with an opening in a bracket 98 through which the shaft 93 passes.

Assuming that a correctly paired box and cover have arrived upon the respective plates 58 ready for closing, assembling and easing, they are situated upon opposite sides of a member IIO (Fig. 8), which has converging curved guide-surfaces H2 and H4 for the box and cover, respectively. This guide member is an element of the closing section D, and lies beneath a vertical channel formed between a back-wall II6, a front-wall H8 and pairs of rear and front side-walls I20, I22 and I23, I25, respectively, the side-walls I20 and I25 co-operating with the box and the other two w lls with the cover. The wall H6 is secured to tne end-frame 60, while the wall H8 is carried parallel to the wall I I6 by upper and lower screws I24, I24 having pairs of nuts I26, I26, by which the wall II8 may be adjusted toward and from its companion. This is to give the proper spaces for boxes and covers of different widths. The wall I20 at the box-side is attached to the backwall by inclined slot-and-screw connections I28, by which said wall I20 may be moved in such a direction that there will be a space between it and the opposite wall I22 to correspond to the depth of the box being operated upon. There OB'clI CH HUGH is also maintained the correct relation of its curved lower extremity I30 to the guide-surface II2, with which it forms a gradually upwardly converging throat. The opposite wall I22 and its curved lower portion I32 are adjustable angularly about an upper pivot I34, joining it to the back-wall, it being retained in place by a slot-and-screw connection I36. This varies the width of the throat between the surfaces at H4 and I32 to correspond to the length of the cover, which is to pass through it. The side-walls I23 and I25 are similarly supported upon the plate II8.

Between the side-walls I20, I22 and I23, I25 are spaces, and rotating vertically through each of these spaces, transversely across the corresponding plate 58, is an arm, that designated as I42 being at the box-side and I44 at the coverside (Fig. 9). Each arm is secured to a shaft I46, journaled horizontally in the frame and turned through 360 for each closing operation by sprocket-gearing I48, which may receive power from the setting-up machine. As appears in Fig. 8, where the arms are shown in successive positions, the cover-arm I44 acts somewhat in advance of the arm I42 for the box. They come into engagement with the box-parts as the setting-up sections s and S deliver these upon the plates 58, force the inner extremities of said parts against the guide-surfaces H4 and H2, respectively, and elevate them beneath the curved wall-surfaces I32 and I30 into the closing channel. Within this channel, through each of the walls I22 and I25, projects the inwardly curved end I6I of a spring retarding and retaining member I50, which is mounted upon its wall for vertical adjustment by a slot-and-screw connection I52. As the upper end of the cover reaches and is retarded by the portion I5I of the spring, when the arm I44 is just leaving the lower end of said cover, the upper end of the box is within the cover and the arm I42 is continuing to raise it. Consequently, the box-end, which has been brought by the relation of the sides of the channel between the side-walls of the cover, will be urged up against the end-wall of said cover to fully enter and be closed by it as the parts are continuously advanced. When the arm I42 has lifted the closed box above the retaining portion of the spring I50 and is leaving it, there contacts with the lower extremity of the box a vertically oscillating arm I56, located at the inner side of the arm I42. This arm I56 receives its motion from the shaft I46 of the arm I 42 by way of a crank I58, link I60 and arm I62, the latter being fast upon a horizontal shaft I64 with the arm. At the limit of its upward travel, the arm I56 carries the box with its applied cover out of the closing section D to the upper level of section E, in which the closed boxes are assembled in preparation for introduction into a packing case.

At the beginning of section E, each box-unit is between side-walls I68, I68, which hold the boxparts against separation and which are adjustable toward and from each other upon the frame by slot-and-screw connections I10. As the arm I56 reaches its highest point, as appears in dash-dot lines in Fig. 8, and just before its movement is reversed, the box-unit which it supports is engaged by the vertically extended end I12 of a horizontally oscillating arm I14. This arm I 14 is fixed to a vertical spindle I16 arranged to turn in the frame. Upon a short extension I18 from the arm I14 (Fig. l), a member I is pivoted and has passing through a horizontal bore a link I82, which, by virtue of a-spring I84 and stop-collars I86, I86, is yieldable in one direc tion upon the arm-extension. The link I82 is joined to an arm I88 secured to the upper extremity of a vertical shaft I98, turning in the frame and oscillated through bevel-gearing I92 from the shaft I64. The arm I12, I14, by its yieldable contact with the box-unit, carries this from the arm I56, as one of an accumulating series, upon a horizontal plate I94 of section E. Here, it lies, resting upon one end, between the vertical inner surfaces of opposed conveyor-belts I96, I96, running upon pairs of rolls I98, I98 secured to vertical shafts 288 journaled upon the frame. One of the belts engages the bottom of the box, while the other contacts with the cover, the closure of the box thus being maintained. The mountings of one or both pairs of shafts 288 may be adjustable toward and from the other by slot-and-screw connections 282 (Fig. 8), to give the proper space for box-units of different heights. To enable the belts to sufficiently grasp and carry the units forward without marring them, they may be faced with some material 284 having closely placed soft projecting fibers; for example, as sheep-skin with the wool engaging the units. The shafts 288 are rotated to cause the opposed engaging surfaces of the belts to travel in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1) by bevelgearing 286 (Fig. 13), which joins them to a horizontal shaft 288 journaled beneath the plate I94. Sprocket-gearing 2 l8 connects the shaft 288 to a shaft 2I| (Fig. 10) journaled horizontally upon a raised portion 2 I 2 of the frame and driven by a motor 2l4 (Fig. 12). To prevent yield of the belts away from the box-units, they may be backed by walls 2I6 (Fig. 1) extending along the inner sides of their opposed runs, and adjustable upon the plate I94 toward and from each other by slot-and-screw connections 2l8. To take up slack in the belts, the outer runs may be tensioned by rolls 228, each rotatable upon a lever 222 fulcrumed at 224 upon the plate I94 and acted upon by a tension-spring 226, which urges the roll against its belt. The belts I96 preferably travel at a rate greater than the movement of the engaging end I12 of the arm I14. As a result of this, the box-units, as they are advanced by the belts from the arm, are held spaced somewhat from one another in the series. This permits the operator to introduce the fingers readily between adjacent units and remove any one for inspection or other purposes.

Forwarded by the belts I96 in the manner just indicated, the box-units are delivered one-by-one toward a stop-wall 232 (Fig. 18), alined, in the direction of advance, with a plate 238 which is forwardly and downwardly inclined from the horizontal, while the wall 232 is correspondingly inclined from the vertical for a purpose which will appear in connection with the description of section F of the apparatus. The wall may be adjusted in the direction of delivery of the boxunits to correspond to their depth or height by slot-and-screw connections 233 to the frame. The belts I96, I86 do not extend to the plate 238, thereby avoiding interference with the next transfer, which occurs transversely of said belts. To ensure the positive arrival of each unit against the wall 232, the lower and upper ends of said unit are, respectively, engaged by rotatable rolls 234 and 236. Each roll may be surfaced with sponge-rubber 238 protected against abrasion by a covering of leather, to give better engagement with the units. The roll 234 operates through a slot in the plate I94 and is driven by sprocketgearing 248 from the shaft 288. The shaft 2 of the upper roll 236 is rotatable in an arm 242, pivoted about a horizontal shaft 244 journaled in a bracket 245 mounted for vertical adjustment at the underside of the frame-portion 2I2. The normal position of this roll 236 may be varied by a stop-screw 246 threaded through a rearward extension of the arm 242 and bearing against the bracket. The roll 236 is driven by sprocket-gearing 248 between the shafts 288 and 244 and sprocket-gearing 258 between the shafts 244 and 24I. To the left of its path of advance, each box-unit is retained by vertically spaced narrow walls 252, 252. The support 254 of these walls may be adjusted laterally to correspond to the adjustment of the corresponding belt I96 by slot-and-screw connections 256. At the right, opposite the beginning of the plate 238, the units are temporarily held in correct alinement by a row of pins 258 rising through slots in the plate I94 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3). These pins are mounted to yield when a transferring force is applied to the opposite side of the units, they being held in normally upright relation by torsion-springs 268 acting upon a horizontal spindle 262 turning beneath the plate and by which the pins are carried.

From its position delivered against the wall 232, each box-unit is transferred over a plate 264, divided to straddle one of the pins 258 and inclined downwardly toward the rear of the machine and toward the advancing box (Fig. 2). This tilts the unit forwardly to bring it into the angle of the plate 238 by which it is now received, traveling in a direction at right-angles to its preceding advance. This movement is eifected by a pair of upper and lower members 266, which are reciprocated above and between the spaced walls 252 (Figs. 1, 10 and 13) upon the arrival of each box-unit in position for assembling in a row It. Each member is adjustably mounted by a slotand-screw connection 268 upon the inner extremity of a rack-bar 218 guided to move horizontally in the frame. An end-surface 212 upon the member 266 is arranged for engagement with the unit to be transferred, while a surface 214 at rightangles thereto retains the next unit of the series from interfering with the transfer. With each rack 218 meshes a gear 278 fast upon a shaft 288, journaled vertically in the frame. There is also secured upon the shaft above the frameportion 2I2, a pinion 282 (Figs. 18 and 12), having meshing with it a rack 284 guided for horizontal reciprocation and joined by a link 286 to a crank 288 attached to one extremity of a horizontally journaled shaft 298. A pair of gears 29I, 292, respectively normally loose upon a shaft 298 and upon a parallel shaft 294, a pinion 293 turning with the gear 292 and meshing with a gear 296 loose upon a parallel shaft 298, an idle pinion 299 and a meshing pinion 388 upon the motor-shaft 2! I, furnish a chain of elements by whi h any one of the shafts 298, 294 and 298 may be driven selectively from the constantly operated motorshaft. Each of these driven shafts may be joined to the rotating gear upon it by a single-rotation clutch mechanism 382. Considering now the shaft 298 by which the racks 218 of the transfer members 266 are reciproeated, the engagement of its clutch is effected by movement of the plunger of a. solenoid 384. This solenoid is in circuit with a contact device or detector 386 (Fig. 10), the movable element of which projects through the stop-wall 232. By a slot-and-screw connection 381 to its support, the 

